March 30, 2005

And that's all I need...

Do you remember the movie The Jerk? Steve Martin plays the character Navin R. Johnson, who towards the end of the movie loses all of his wealth and starts walking around his house saying he doesn't need any of this "stuff." Except for random items he decides to pick up like an ashtray, a paddle game ("the ashtray and the paddle game and that's all I need..."), a remote control, matches, a lamp, a chair, and a magazine. For those of you that have seen the movie you know this scene is hilarious, but it is also a little thought provoking. Hmmm ...

If I fell on hard times and lost everything what items would I pick up randomly to try to take with me? Assuming my family would be coming with me, what are the items that I would immediately try to grab before I walked down the street in a bathrobe and my pants around my ankles? The following is what I could think of:

My collection of Minnesota Twins fishing lures. It is my most favorite collection. Anyone can collect bobbleheads! Bah! There probably isn't another Twins fan that has the complete collection of Twins fishing lures like I do. Needless to say, I will be at the May 13 Twins game for the Kent Hrbek lure. That is a given.

My signed copy of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It says, "To Shane, a friend of Ender." It is so true! I am a friend of Ender! I love that book.

My cable modem. You might be asking why? At this point I will be too distraught to think straight. My cable modem has provided me with hours of entertainment and service through the years. It is coming with me.

If you'll recall, though, in the movie The Jerk Navin Johnson trades all of the things he "needs" for a thermos. What would I trade all of this for? Can there be any item that would get me to part with all of these prized posessions?

I would trade all of this for a vintage Chuck Foreman "44" Vikings jersey. Like the one I had when I was a kid. That would make me very, very happy.